of middletown



IlNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

A. W. GRAY, OFr MIDDLETOWN, VERMONT.

LINK OF HORSE-POWERS. i

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N o. 15,693, dated September 9, 1856; Reissued. July 1,

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, A. W. GRAY, of Middletown, in the county of Rutland and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Horse-Power; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full .and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, Figure l, beinga longitudinal, vertical section of the horse power; Fig. 2, a transverse section thereof in the line a; a?, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section, in the line 3/ y, Fig. l; Figfl, perspective of one of the lags, with its links attached; Fig. 5, longitudinal section of one of the links.

Like letters designate correspondingiparts in all the figures.

My improvements relate to the mode `of constructing and arranging the endless chain of lags, whereby greater cheapness, greater strength, less weight, and less friction, are secured.

The links G, Gr, which unite the lags H, H, are made of strong sheet ironin the following manner -A` piece d, (Fig. 5,) is bent into an oblong, rectangular form, so as to furnish a mortise for the reception of a tenon on the end of the lag. Another strip of sheet metal is bent in such a manner that the upper side shall be straight and fit the lower side of the mortise piece cl, to which it is riveted; while the lower side is formed into corrugations c c, of such form as to constitute a series of regular cogs, from end to end, the two end corrugations inclosing a round aperture, and projecting sufliciently beyond the lag, or mortise, portion el, to receive the connecting rods b b, on which the links turn, and are joined together; all substantially as represented in the drawings.

The whole link is readily made by suitable dies, or swages, and is exceedingly cheap, light and strong.

The corrugations c, 0, of the series of links, constitute double racks on the inner` side of the endless platform of lags, which gear into cog-wheels E, E, on the driving shaft D. Said cog-wheels should be about twice as thick as the links are wide, since the links of successive lags are placed side by side; that is, those of one lag, are placed inside of those of the adjoining lags, and vice versa, as shown in Fig. 3. The mor- [Fms'r PRINTED 1912.]

whereby wider lags may be employed, and

the links pass more freely over the cogwheels E, E.

Friction rollers a a are placed upon the ends of the connecting rods Z9 b. These rollers, instead of being entirely perforated, and passing the ends of the rodls b, through them, are simply provided with holes bored only partly through them, as

represented. They are then simply slipped loosely upon the ends of the nods; and are kept in place by the tracks A, B, on which the endless platform runs, and by the timbers I,.I, of the frame, which incloses them. Thus they are more readily and cheaply made than usual, and running freely, obviate all binding, which often causes endlesschain horse powers to turn with considerable unnecessary friction and impediment.

A'Ihe advantages of a horse-power thus constructed, are principally, its light-ness; the light but strong sheet-iron links very much diminishing the weight of the endless-platform, thus not only diminishing the whole weight of the machine, but increasing the effective power thereof readiness and cheapness of construction; lessened friction; and equal or superior strength.

W'hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Constructing the links composing the endless chain, of corrugated sheet-metal, so that `the corrugations shall serve both as hinges for connecting the links and as cogs for gearing into the cog-wheels on the driving shaft, substantially as herein specified.

The above specification of my new and improved horse power, signed by me this fifth day of March A. D. 1856.

ALBERT W. GRAY. lVitnesses:

BARNES Fipsni, J AMES GARRY. 

